Tropical Paradise, Part 1
by AquaViolet JG
Summary: Dave gets a call from Claire, who says he and the chipmunks are invited to go to the beautiful island called the Koh Lipe with her and three others. This invitation excites the 6 chipmunks greatly, but what happens when one of their companions and chipmunk friend go mysteriously missing? With apprehension, fear, and a little bit of romance, a new adventure begins. CGI version!
1. Invitation

**Heyo guys! New story here, as you can obviously see. I just thought up of some story and decided to give it a shot. I hope you guys enjoy~**

**Chapter 1: Invitation**

The sun rose high in the sky. Birds sang in cheerful whistles as the world brightened into a new dawn. The rays of the sun shown across the city of L.A., and flew into a certain window from a certain house.

5 furry creatures winced as the daylight poured into the bedroom. A blue clad chipmunk named Simon entered the bedroom, and he took a good look around at the sleeping figures. Simon cleared his throat before exclaiming two simple words.

"GOOD MORNING!"

All 5 chipmunks jumped in pure shock and tumbled to the ground off their beds. Simon chuckled nervously as they flashed cross looks at him. "What? It **is** morning," He pointed out, gesturing to the clock which read 8:03.

Brittany, a pink clad Chipette who led her two younger sisters in a band called The Chipettes, opened her jaws in an enormous yawn. "8:00 is too early for a Saturday, Simon, especially in the summer. Why couldn't you let us sleep in!?"

"Because it's a beautiful day. And, Dave wants to talk to all of us in the living room." Simon answered simply. "C'mon."

The chipmunks headed down the stairs groggily. Dave was in the living room waiting, just like Simon said he was.

"Good morning, guys. Go eat breakfast and come back here once you're done." The chipmunks all glanced at each other in confusion and obeyed. Only Simon seemed to know what was going on.

Theodore and Eleanor, the two youngest who wore green, opened a new bag of toaster waffles and popped a few in the toaster. Eleanor went to the fridge to find the syrup and whipped cream, while Brittany busied herself with getting out plates with Alvin. Simon and Jeanette, a purple clad chipmunk with purple glasses, got the silverware and a new box of toaster waffles in case there wasn't enough in the already opened one.

"So, what do you think Dave wants?" Jeanette asked Simon as they put the forks on the table. Simon slightly smiled at her. "I already know what he wants, but you'll find out soon enough."

Alvin, a red clad chipmunk and the leader of his younger brother's band called The Chipmunks, pricked his ears towards Simon and Jeanette. "Why don't you tell us now, Si?"

Simon's tail tip twitched in utter annoyance. "Because Dave will tell you; just be patient,"

Once they finished eating, they came back to the living room to find out what Dave wanted. When silence followed, Alvin spoke up awkwardly. "So, what do you want, Dave?"

The black haired man answered. "I got a phone call from Claire this morning, and she said that we are invited to go with her, Toby, Julie, and Ian to the Koh Lipe this summer for a vacation."

The chipmunks all gaped before cheering. "The Koh Lipe! I've always wanted to go their!" Jeanette exclaimed.

"Wait… Julie? You mean Julie Ortega? Toby's _girlfriend_?" Alvin asked in awe. "How did Claire meet her?"

Dave explained. "I told her about Toby, and Claire must've somehow bumped into Julie."

Theodore stopped cheering and thought for a moment. "What's the Koh Lipe?"

"It's a Tropical Paradise in southern Thailand. There are loads of things we can do there, especially with more people along with us this time. What do you guys think?" Dave asked.

"Yea!"

"Awesome!"

"Let's go!"

Dave smiled. "Let's get packed. We're leaving to the airport tomorrow."

OoOoOoO

The next day was very exciting for everyone. The chipmunks were chattering about what they would do the whole way to the airport. Dave parked the car and alerted everyone. "We're here."

"I can't wait to meet Claire," Brittany stated thoughtfully. "She seems like a nice girl."

"She is." Simon pointed out.

"Not to mention _hot." _Alvin added, though he really only said it to annoy Brittany and Dave. A few chuckles here and there made Brittany fume, but she didn't respond in anger.

"Well then, Mr. _Flirt, _I dare you to go up to Claire when we see her and say that in her face!" Brittany challenged.

Alvin shrugged. "No problem. I've already said it once to her before."

Everyone laughed when Brittany gaped, completely speechless. It was obvious that she was jealous.

"Oh, lighten up, Britt!" Alvin said playfully. "I was only joking."

Dave and the chipmunks brought their bags out of their car and looked around for the rest of the group. Theodore sniffed the air and turned around. "Look!" He exclaimed. "Claire, Toby, Julie, and Ian are already waiting for us."

The chipmunks ran forward in a burst of excitement. They all cried out greetings to the humans, crawling over them until the four people were overwhelmed.

When Dave noticed this, he set the luggage down and warned them to calm down. Brittany was basically hopping up and down. "So you're Claire!" She squeaked, pointing at the blonde haired lady.

"That's right," Claire responded, smiling. "I've heard about you. Brittany, right?"

The pink clad chipmunk nodded. "And these are my sisters, Jeanette and Eleanor."

"Hello!" They greeted in unison.

"Long time no see." Toby addressed them all with a hint of humoristic sarcasm.

"Sup?" Ian stated coolly.

"It sure is good to see you guys again," Dave said to his companions.

"Yea!" Theodore yelped. "I can't wait until we get to the Koh Lipe."

Julie smiled at the six chipmunks. "Well, the sooner we turn in our tickets, the sooner we'll get there!"

"Race ya to the office!" Alvin called loudly before running off with the other 5 on his tail.

"Wait, guys-" Dave called after them. "You can't run in here!" But the chipmunks were already gone.

Claire giggled. "Don't worry about it, Dave. Let them have their fun. I'm sure no one will notice nor care, anyway."

"It'd be a shame if they were." Ian added casually.

Dave looked suspiciously at him, but before he could ask what he meant, Claire spoke up. "Let's follow them, shall we?"

Everyone murmured in agreement before grabbing their luggage and chasing after the chipmunks.


	2. Activities

**Chapter 2: Activities**

The airplane ride seemed to take forever. Eleanor dozed in her seat, when suddenly she felt a sharp jab in her side. Jumping, she turned to see her sister Brittany looked at her. "We're almost there!" The pink clad chipmunk squeaked in excitement.

Eleanor quickly sat up. "Really? Thank goodness,"

The pilot warned every passenger in the plane from a radio that the plane was preparing for landing. After what seemed like forever, the pilot instructed them to unfasten their seatbelts and leave the plane.

Dave grabbed their luggage from a gap in the ceiling while the chipmunks were impatiently waiting to get off the plane. "Let's check this place out!" Alvin said eagerly once they were outside, and he bunched his hindquarters together, ready to run off.

Brittany quickly blocked his way. "Don't be silly. We can't just chase each other around the island; let's wait for Dave and the others."

Alvin reluctantly listened, though it was obvious he didn't want to wait. Eleanor didn't exactly blame him; she was wanting to sight-see as soon as she could herself. But she had enough sense to wait for Dave, Claire, Toby, Julie and Ian.

Once the adults were in sight, Alvin urged them forward. "Can we _pleeeeaaaase _check this place out right now, Dave?" Alvin pleaded. "**_Pleeeeeaaaase_**?"

"Not now, Alvin. We have to find Claire's vacation house first."

Eleanor quickly followed her sisters. "Claire has a summer house here? Cool!" She heard Brittany say.

Jeanette nodded. "This is so exciting! Just imagine the lights at night."

The green clad chipmunk caught up to her sisters. "I can't wait to check this place out and find out what activities we can do!"

Theodore looked this way and that. "Do you smell that?" He asked, his direction looking at what seemed like an outdoor buffet.

"I sure do!" Eleanor giggled, hopping to her counterpart's side. Theodore watched curiously. "I wonder what kind of food they make here."

"And what it tastes like." Simon added.

Several minutes passed when Dave announced, "We're here!"

Brittany whipped her head back and forth. "Where's our house? Where is it?" She asked urgently.

Jeanette gently grabbed her sister's head and slowly turned it straight forward. Brittany gasped as she looked at the building in front of them.

"This isn't a house." She stated firmly. "It's a hut."

"It's an island we're on, Brittany." Simon reminded her.

"Yea, what did you expect, Luxury?" Alvin asked as he padded forward.

Eleanor stared at the house. It looked very nice to stay in for the vacation, but Eleanor had her doubts. It wasn't exactly what she expected, but at least they had somewhere to stay.

"C'mon, let's go inside!" Toby said in a rush.

Once Claire opened the door, Eleanor's doubts immediately vanished. It was magnificent! It looked like a regular house in L.A., but better! There was a breakfast bar, a T.V. and sofas, a cool-looking fan on the ceiling, and much more. The inside was way different than the outside for sure.

As if reading her thoughts, Alvin made a sly comment. "Not so bad anymore now, eh, girls?" Brittany gritted her teeth but didn't answer.

Claire set down her bags. "Right," She started. "Boys, you can sleep in the room at the end of the hall. I'll show you where us girls can bunk."

Claire led the way down a hall and turned to a door on the right. She opened the door wide and the Chipettes gaped in wonder. There were four beds inside with about two windows on the far wall, and a balcony dipped outside with a screen door leading to it.

"This room is _awesome_!" Brittany gasped. "I absolutely _love_ it!"

Julie smiled in amusement. "How about we figure out where we sleep tonight while putting our stuff away?" She suggested.

"Sure!" Eleanor yipped before jumping onto a bed next to one of the windows. "Girls, how's this one?" She asked her sisters.

Jeanette nodded. "Okay."

"I'm in!" Brittany yelped as she hopped on the bed and flopped down on her back. "Ahh…" She sighed. "This is going to be one of the best vacations ever!"

Jeanette's ear twitched. "Even better than when we got stranded on that island?"

Brittany sat up. "Of course! You think I enjoyed being marooned with absolutely no clean water, good food, and an extra set of clothing?"

"We did make the flower dressed, remember?" Eleanor pointed out.

"Speaking of flower dresses…" Jeanette reached into her bag. "I've brought them with us!" She pulled out the pink, purple, and green flower dresses.

"Oh my gosh, I was looking all over the place for my pink one!" Brittany exclaimed before grabbing it from Jeanette, earning a few giggles from the other girls.

When the girls were all set, they headed out of the room and found the boys already waiting for them. "We were just thinking about leaving without you guys!" Alvin joked. "You took _forever_."

Brittany took no notice. "Well, we're here now. Let's go do something!"

Alvin studied the Chipettes. "I didn't know you still had those flower outfits!"

"Of course we still have them! You think I'd throw away such a tremendously fashionable dress like this? That'd be such a waste!" Brittany cried out in astonishment as if she couldn't believe anyone would consider anything like that.

"So, what do we do now?" Eleanor asked, changing the subject.

"We're on the Pattaya Beach side of the island." Claire confirmed. "It's the most popular beach on every inch of Koh Lipe. There are plenty of things we can try; Snorkeling and scuba diving are very popular activities around Koh Lipe. The places to do this at are 8 Mile Rock, Yong Hua Shipwreck, Sting Ray City, Stonehenge- -"

"We get it, can we move on now?" Ian interrupted.

Claire looked crossly at him before continuing. "You can go kayaking and sailing as well. There are many different beaches for swimming, and hiking is exceptional. There are some places where you can go shopping, too. You can buy T-shirts, flip-flops, and all that jazz. There's also some snack shacks around, too, if you ever feel a bit hungry."

"Don't forget the ferry's and speedboats. You can get around the island on those as well as just foot," Toby added.

"Yes, of course." Claire finished.

"I was thinking that we could check out the island today. Hiking sounds like a good idea if we want to get to know this place better." Julie suggested.

"I'm in!" Simon and Jeanette yipped in unison.

The rest of the chipmunks and people murmured in agreement. Julie smiled slightly. "Then it's settled. Lead the way, Claire!"


	3. Sight-Seeing Trouble

**Chapter 3: Sight-Seeing Trouble**

Brittany plopped on the couch with a huge sigh. They just got back to Claire's vacation house after a long day of hiking. They went all over the place; they explored the forests, checked out the beaches, and ate at some outdoor food stands, or whatever you call them.

Brittany turned her head to look at her sisters, Jeanette and Eleanor. They looked just as exhausted as she was; lying on their backs with heaving chests, staring at the ceiling.

"So…" Brittany breathed once she fully caught her breath. "What'd you think of all the hiking we did?"

"Exhausting!" Eleanor exclaimed.

"That hike probably did some good for you, too." Ian added rudely.

Eleanor glared at him, but before she could say anything Julie interrupted.

"Okay now, it's getting pretty late; you should be getting to bed."

"What?" Alvin exclaimed in disbelief. "It's like, only 10:00!"

Dave nodded. "Exactly. Go on,"

The red clad chipmunk sighed and strolled down the hall with the other 5 on his tail. "That's so unfair." He muttered, half to himself.

Simon opened his jaws in a huge yawn. "If you ask me, I'm glad we get to have some sleep now. It's been a long day."

Brittany crossed her arms. "Either way, I don't see why the adults can stay up."

"Well, they are in authority over us," Jeanette pointed out.

"So?" Alvin asked. "It's a vacation; we should be staying up all night, not going to sleep so early…"

"We might be able to stay awake all night tomorrow." Eleanor recommended.

"Now let's get some sleep. Good-night, boys," Brittany said while yawning.

"Good-night," Everyone repeated before heading separate ways to their rooms.

OoOoOoO

As morning dawned, Simon woke with a start. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes and put his glasses on his face. Looking around, he realized that he and his brothers were the only ones in there. _The adults must be up already._ He thought while heading out the door of the bedroom.

Taking a peek down the hall, Simon saw Claire and Julie in the kitchen making breakfast. Taking a deep whiff in the air, Simon smelled the familiar scent of eggs. Licking his lips, he turned back into the bedroom and shook his brothers awake.

"Get up, guys; it's morning, and breakfast is being made."

Alvin immediately sat up. "No! I'm not going back to school! It's still summer!" He yelped.

Simon jumped. "Calm down, Alvin; we're at the Koh Lipe in Claire's vacation home, remember?"

Alvin stared at Simon, clearly looking confused. He blinked and his eyes brightened. "I know. It was just some stupid dream I've had."

Theodore sniffed the air. "I smell eggs."

Alvin pricked his ears. "I'm starving!"

The boys raced each other into the kitchen; Alvin slipped on the greasy floors, and he slid out of control. Yelping, he bonked into his two brothers, making them hit right into a table, making it topple to the ground with a tremendous racket.

Claire and Julie jumped and looked down the hall. "Boys? What are you doing?" Claire asking, bewildered.

"Er… Nothing!" Alvin called out before quickly sitting up along with his brothers.

The Chipettes all came out of their bedroom. "What was that?" Eleanor asked in pure shock.

"We accidently made the table fall." Simon answered simply.

"Where's Dave, Toby, and Ian?" Theodore asked curiously, deliberately changing the subject.

Claire seemed relieved. "Oh, they just went outside for a while. I think they are going to find out what we are going to do next."

"I'll tell you what we're gonna do next." Alvin said eagerly. "We're going to eat. I'm starving!"

"Agreed!" The 5 other chipmunks said in unison.

When they all finished their last bites, the door opened up and Dave, Toby, and Ian walked in. "Hey, guys! Want to go sight-seeing today?"

"Didn't we do that yesterday?" Brittany asked, slightly disappointed.

Toby answered. "No; that was hiking. This is different. Besides, there are still loads more of the island to see! We will actually be taking stops in some places to check them out."

"Let's go, then!" Theodore yipped.

OoOoOoO

The chipmunks followed closely behind the 5 adults once outside in the open air. Kids were playing on the beaches and in the jungles, though Simon wasn't sure if they were even allowed to be in the jungle.

Dave, Claire, Ian, Toby, and Julie told the chipmunks to stay where they were now while they went to find a tour guide. Simon sat down next to Theodore, waiting, when suddenly his green clad brother spoke.

"Hey, where's Alvin?" He asked.

A dark feeling of dread swelled up inside Simon. If his brother was stirring up trouble _again_, then this vacation might turn out to be a disaster, like the last one.

"Hey, guys! Over here!"

Turning, the blue clad chipmunk saw Alvin not that far away near a food stand, and he held a few sticks in his arms. Relief washed over Simon; maybe he actually learned his lesson.

Alvin climbed up the stand to the roof. Grabbing a rope that hung from above, he swung one of the sticks above it and grabbed both ends with his arms. Simon's relief immediately vanished as he realized what Alvin was really up to. How stupid of him to think that his brother actually learned his lesson!

"Alvin! No, don't do that!" Simon called, racing forward with his heart beating fast. "You'll get us in trouble!"

Alvin ignored Simon. "Ya-hooooooo!" He yelled as he lifted his feet in the air and zipped down the line faster than a bullet. The line ended on a pole in the water, and Alvin flew into the air before splashing down in the lake. Moments later his head bobbed out from the surface.

"Yea! That was **AWESOME**! You have to try this!" He exclaimed.

Eleanor gasped. "That looks like fun! I want to try!" Brittany stared at her sister as if she was crazy. "What are you, joking? You'll kill yourself!"

Eleanor quickly looked down at her feet. "Oh- - I know. It's just that… this sight-seeing is really kind of boring. Why don't we just listen to Alvin?"

Theodore nodded. "Yea, I agree. I would rather do something fun that walk all over the place doing nothing!"

Jeanette slowly nodded. "It's hot out in the sun, anyway."

Brittany looked up at the sky. "I guess I can listen to Alvin sometimes…"

Simon couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Fine! You guys go do… whatever! But I'm staying here, where I _won't_ be in trouble!"

Jeanette stiffened. "Simon, wait- -" But Simon didn't hear any more. He whipped around and stomped away from them, heading where Dave and the others took a stop at the food stand.

Eleanor shrugged. "Kill joy. Come on, let's _zip line_!"

Theodore was a bit shocked at Eleanor's behavior, but his thoughts vanished when he heard the word zip line. "Ar-are you sure it's save?" He asked nervously.

"Of course it's save! Alvin just did it." Eleanor pointed out simply before racing to the pile of sticks and the line. The others had no choice but to follow.

"1… 2... 3!" Eleanor counted down before zipping down the line faster than ever before.

Theodore could tell that Jeanette and Brittany were anxious for their sister going on the zip line. Last time they were on a zip line, Eleanor fell and hurt her ankle pretty bad; he understood their concern for her. But Theodore thought that she would be just fine this time.

When Eleanor reached the end of the line, she went flying off just like Alvin did into the clear blue water. Instantly Jeanette and Brittany raced to the waters' edge. "Ellie! Are you okay?" Jeanette called.

Moments later Eleanor surfaced. "That was epic!" She squeaked before swimming out of the water to do it again.

Jeanette and Brittany exchanged quick glances before racing to the zip line.

"That's the spirit!" Alvin exclaimed.

After several times of doing it, they all stayed in the water splashing each other. Simon watched from a distance, wondering if he should tell the adults. _There's no harm in it. I'll let them have their fun for now._

That's when he started feeling bored. He looked longingly at his brothers and the Chipettes. _Oh… why not? _Sitting up, he made his way down the beach to the other chipmunks.

"Look who finally decided to join us!" Alvin said, pointing at his brother. Simon flinched as all the other chipmunks turned to look at him. "What changed your mind?" Jeanette asked.

"I… was bored, and I thought that this looked like fun. There seems to be no harm in it, anyway…" Simon stated awkwardly.

Jeanette smiled. "I'm glad you've changed your mind. Come on in!" She splashed a big wad of water all over him. Simon gaped in astonishment before smiling eagerly. He chased Jeanette into the water, and everyone started laughing and splashing each other.

Alvin slowly snuck up behind Brittany, his eyes sparkling with mischief. He immediately jumped up and splashed a giant wave of water all over her, making a loud roaring sound. Brittany squealed in fright and whipped around, pushing him away with a large shove. At first Alvin laughed hysterically, but when he lowered his feet to the ground no sand supported him. With a gasp of shock, Alvin sank underneath the water, surrounded by a vast of dark, deadly water.


	4. Fireworks

**Chapter 4: Fireworks**

Alvin felt himself sinking in what seemed to go on forever. He struggled to try and swim, but he was too panic-stricken to think of what to do. Suddenly he felt himself behind lifted up, and everything became brighter and brighter…

The red clad chipmunk gasped as he broke the surface of the water. He coughed up a wad of water and seaweed. Alvin looked up to see his savior, expecting it to be Dave.

But he didn't recognize this man. He was a tall black-haired man wearing all white from head to toes. Sunglasses covered half of his face, so Alvin couldn't tell who it was, if he knew them.

Alvin blinked. "W-who are you?" He asked.

The man didn't answer. He gently placed Alvin down on the sand, and the small chipmunk started to relax. He pricked his ears when he heard the familiar voices of his family, and his head turned to see them running over. When Alvin turned back around, the man who saved him was gone.

"What were you thinking?" Brittany yelped. "Are you okay?"

Alvin sat up. "Yea, I'm fine."

"Can someone please tell me what just happened here?" Ian asked impatiently.

Brittany looked down at her feet. "It's my fault. He spooked me, and I shoved him away into the water. There must have been a drop off or something."

"What saved you?" Theodore asked, looking around as if expecting to see someone there with Alvin.

"I… uh…" Alvin decided to not tell them about the strange man. "I swam to shore. I'm not stupid, ya know." He gave a small smile, just to make it disappear a second later when Dave gave him a stern look.

"You scared me half to death, Alvin. I told you guys to stay on the shore and you didn't listen. Now look what happened!"

Claire lightly touched Dave on the shoulder. "Don't be too hard on them, David. Alvin just wanted some fun. He didn't mean any harm."

Dave seemed to relax a bit, but there was no doubt that he still had some things to say to them all.

Toby purposely cleared his throat loudly. "I think we should be heading back. Alvin must be very tired."

Alvin frowned. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Julie asked fretfully.

"Positive!" Alvin sat up and shook out his fur, spraying water droplets all over the place.

Toby nodded. "Good. Let's get going again!"

"And listen to me this time." Dave added.

Once they began moving again, no one said a word. Suddenly Claire stopped dead and gasped. "I've got an idea!"

"What?" Toby asked.

Claire seemed more excited than anyone had seen her in a while. "Tonight there's going to be fireworks at the beach. We should go there!"

Julie brightened up. "Sounds great! We should totally go!"

Claire looked slightly disappointed. "Oh. Well, I was hoping it could be just me and Dave…"

Julie blinked, understanding. "Of course. We can go farther down the beach then, and give you some space."

Claire looked relieved. "Thanks."

Brittany's heart soared. Fireworks? Tonight? It was a perfect opportunity to spend some time with Alvin!

She looked expectantly at the red clad chipmunk, but he didn't seem to be listening to anything anyone was saying. Brittany followed his gaze, which reached the woods a bit farther up the shore. She frowned. What was on his mind about the forest?

When Brittany looked back at the adults, she realized that Ian was staring at Dave and Claire. Was that jealousy she saw in his eyes? Brittany stifled a laugh. Ian didn't have a chance with Claire!

That's when uneasiness washed over her. If Dave and Claire wanted some alone time under the stars together, that was one thing. But if Toby and Julie also did, then that would mean if anyone were to watch over the chipmunks, it would be Ian. Brittany knew that his old habits of money obsession were well over, and he wouldn't try to take the chipmunks anymore, but the thought still bothered her. _I'm just getting fed up over nothing. Better not think about it._

Brittany casually walked towards Alvin. "Ahem. Alvin. You there?" Brittany waved an arm in front of his face. "Yoo-hoo! Earth to Alvin."

Alvin blinked. "What the heck are you doing?"

Brittany rolled her eyes. "Didn't you hear? Fireworks on the beach tonight. You up for it?"

"Fireworks? At a beach? With you? You make it sound like a date! No thanks,"

Brittany's heart sank. All her hopes vanished in an instant, and her tail slowly drooped. "But… it would be fun…" She protested, desperately trying to change his mind.

Alvin snorted with half amusement, half annoyance. "Fun? I'll tell you what fun is." Alvin turned to look at her. He opened his mouth to continue, but stopped when he realized how heartbroken Brittany looked. He shifted uncomfortably, suddenly unsure of what to say.

Brittany looked away. "It's okay. We don't have to go, anyway. I don't care."

With that she turned and walked away. She slowed her pace when she reached Jeanette; she felt like she needed to share her feelings with someone other than Alvin. She stopped dead when she realized that Jeanette was with Simon, and they were both chatting excitingly about tonight.

This made Brittany feel even worse. Why couldn't Alvin be like that?

Not wanting to interrupt them, she went to find her other sister, Eleanor. She sighed when she saw that she was with Theodore, probably talking about the fireworks.

Brittany started to feel jealous. _I'm the oldest out of my sisters, and look at where I'm at! It's not fair._

Suddenly an unfamiliar voice rang from behind her. "Life isn't fair."


	5. A Strange Man

**Chapter 5: A Strange Man**

Brittany whipped around with her eyes wide open in shock. She gaped when she saw a tall man standing not far away from her.

"W-what?" Brittany stammered.

"Life isn't fair." He repeated.

Brittany stared at him uncertainly. How did he know what she was thinking?

"Brittany!"

The pink clad chipmunk spun around to see Alvin standing behind her. "What?" She asked, distracted.

Alvin explained. "What are you staring at? You look like you've just witnessed the apocalypse!"

Brittany quickly turned her head just to realize that the man was gone. "Er- Nothing." She lied. Alvin would think she was crazy if she told him about the strange man who read her thoughts.

But Alvin wasn't convinced. "Come on, I know you're hiding something." He urged.

Brittany crossed her arms and gave him a hard stare. That's when Alvin knew that she wouldn't say anything about it.

"Fine, you can keep your secrets." Alvin muttered as he pointed to the others. "But I think we're leaving now."

Brittany looked over at the adults and realized they looked ready to head back. _Already? Oh well._

But as Brittany started to follow them, she stopped dead when she noticed that the tall, strange man was watching her closely from a far off. Ian stood near the man, as if preparing to start a conversation, but Brittany took no notice of him. Shivering, she raced after Alvin. "Wait up!"

OoOoOoO

The chipmunks and adults had a great time the rest of the day. They stopped at a few stands and got to try out some new food they've never had before. The chipmunks still thought it was funny that Brittany immediately grossed out when Toby munched on the seaweed like it was chocolate.

"Hey, I've brought some seaweed back with us!" Toby announced just then when they entered Claire's vacation home.

Brittany gagged. "How can you stand that stuff? It's _seaweed_! Basically like the sea's arms reaching up to grab you!"

"You should try some, Britt; it's not that bad." Jeanette commented.

Brittany looked at her sister like she grew an extra head. "You're right, it's not that bad… it's worse!"

The chipmunks laughed and walked into the small living room.

Dave looked down at them. "We're going to head down to the beach soon to see the fireworks. You guys coming?"

"Yes!" Simon, Jeanette, Eleanor, and Theodore all exclaimed at once. Brittany really did want to go, but she wouldn't. She didn't want to see her sisters and their counterparts having a good time while she sat alone on the beach.

Claire's eyes sparkled. "Let's go!"

Brittany immediately felt awkward. She wanted to ask Dave if she could stay home, but now she wasn't so sure how he would react. Dave would definitely ask her why, and Brittany didn't know if she could explain, let alone want to.

_I'll just go. It's not like I need a partner, anyway._

Stepping out the door, Brittany realized that it was getting darker by the minute. She also noticed that Alvin was waiting for her a few steps away.

"Can I help you?" Brittany asked with an edge on her tone.

Alvin scratched the back of his neck, and immediately Brittany knew he was feeling a bit nervous. "About earlier. Sorry for maybe hurting your feelings… it's just that I was kind of surprised and unprepared by the question is all."

Brittany's heart beat sped up. "And…?" She asked, excitement rising inside her.

Alvin slightly smiled; seeing that she seemed happy made him convinced that she forgave him. "So we're cool, right? Great! See ya around." With that the red clad chipmunk turned tail and raced back to the vacation house.

"Wait- - you're not going to the fireworks?" Brittany called after him.

Alvin blinked at her. "No. Why would I?" He asked before vanishing behind the door.

Brittany's heart sank as fast as a bullet. Her excitement immediately vanished. _Did I just actually see what just happened, or did I imagine it? _

With a sinking feeling, Brittany turned towards the forest to take a walk. She still was unsure if leaving the others was a good idea, but she couldn't think of any other way to get away from her sadness.

Brittany slowly walked on in the forest, thinking to herself. _Does Alvin even like me? What if he doesn't? Maybe he was just too nervous to ask me to the fireworks. Or maybe he doesn't like me…_

The pink clad chipmunk stopped when she heard some rustling behind her. Slowly turning around, she saw nothing but trees and undergrowth. Uncertainty started to claw its way inside of the small chipmunk; now she certainly wished she'd gone with the others instead of the forest.

_Don't panic… _she thought quickly. _It was probably just the wind._

Brittany decided she would head back now. But as she tried to recognize her surroundings, she found herself completely lost. Panic rose inside of her. What was she thinking? Now she was lost in the middle of a dirty old forest!

Her heart almost stopped when a shadow loomed straight over her.


	6. A Bright Night- Missing Companions

**Chapter 6: A Bright Night- Missing Companions**

The sky lit up with color as fireworks boomed into the air. Jeanette watched them blow up in awe; it was so beautiful! And she was there with Simon, her secret crush… everything was perfect.

Jeanette slowly leaned her head on Simon's shoulder, not fully realizing what she was doing. Simon flinched, but soon relaxed and held her with his arm. The two watched the colorful blazes above in silence for the rest of the night.

Before long Jeanette realized that she dozed off and the light show was over. She quickly stood up in embarrassment once she processed that she had rested her head on Simon's shoulder. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't realize…" She stammered.

Simon smiled. "Hey… don't worry about it. There's nothing to it."

Jeanette smiled back and stared in his blue eyes for a few moments longer before sitting up straight. "It looks like the adults are ready to head back," She observed.

Simon nodded and stood on his feet. "Yea; let's go."

Paw in paw, the two bespectacled chipmunks made their way down the beach to catch up with the others.

Before long they all reached the vacation house. Inside the girl's bedroom, Jeanette stared at the ceiling dreamily. Her night with Simon under the stars before was amazing. She felt a soft nudge on her shoulder and turned to see Eleanor. Sitting up from the bed, Jeanette straightened her glasses. "Yea, Ellie? What is it?" She asked.

Eleanor's urgency look in her eyes made Jeanette's romantic thoughts immediately vanish. "It's Brittany. She's gone!"

Jeanette stared at her sister as if she turned into a hedgehog. "What? What do you mean, gone?" She asked in astonishment.

"She didn't come with us to the beach," Eleanor explained. "And Alvin said that he never saw her come back inside the house when we left!"

Jeanette's heart sped up. Fears of what might have happened to Brittany instantly flooded in her head. _Did she drown? Did she get lost? Did someone MUNKNAP HER!?_

Eleanor seemed to see her sister's distress, so she reached forward to give her a hug. "Don't worry, Jeanette; Brittany's sensible enough to stay out of trouble. She probably went for a reassuring walk."

The purple clad chipmunk wasn't completely convinced, but the thought did make her feel a bit better. "What does Dave think?" She asked apprehensively.

Eleanor hesitated before answering. "He's concerned, that's for sure, but he thinks that Brittany will come back soon. If she doesn't in 10 minutes, he said he's going to go look for her."

The door opened and Julie walked in. "Guys, we have some more bad news; Ian's gone too!"

Jeanette and Eleanor's jaws dropped to the floor. Ian? Why would he be missing?

_ Of course! He must have taken Brittany! _

Jeanette felt tears form in her eyes. "Did he take Brittany?" She heard Eleanor ask worriedly.

Julie sighed. "I don't know. I thought he'd changed, but maybe not. Claire blames herself from Brittany's disappearance for inviting Ian along, but as I said; it might not be him."

The door opened a bit wider and Jeanette saw Alvin, Simon, and Theodore walk in. "Might not be him? Of course it's him!" Alvin yelled as he jumped on the bed with his brothers behind him.

Simon walked straight to Jeanette. "Are you okay?" He murmured quietly to her.

Jeanette felt the tears start to form again in her eyes. Immediately she pulled Simon into a hug and gently cried on him. Simon jumped in surprise, but then hugged her back reassuringly.

Julie continued to try and calm everyone down. "You don't know that, Alvin. None of us do. Dave and Toby already left to go find him, yet I'm not sure how much luck they'll get. For now all we can do is hope and wait."

Theodore nodded. "She's right. Why would Ian wait all the way until now to try to munknap Brittany? He had plenty of opportunities before. Besides, if he would munknap anyone, it would be Alvin."

"We gotta save Brittany!" Alvin exclaimed, as if not hearing Julie and Theodore's defense statements. Worry clouded his gaze, and from looking over Simon's shoulder Jeanette could tell that he was most certainly concerned for Brittany.

Slowly backing away from Simon, Jeanette decided to speak up. "Ian couldn't have munknapped her. He doesn't have any way to get back to America without us anyway even if he wanted to. Even if he had captured Brittany, we would eventually catch him."

Everyone's attention turned to the purple bespectacled chipmunk as she continued. "Alvin, we know you are concerned about Brittany's disappearance and the fact that Ian is gone the same moment, too. But you have to stop trying to take charge of these things and think about them first." Alvin flatted his ears in defense, but he didn't interrupt.

Confidence rose inside of Jeanette. "I have a feeling that Brittany's in trouble. But she isn't with Ian. I'm sure of it."

After a moments' pause, Eleanor reacted with a question. "Then where's Ian?"

This time Jeanette didn't have an answer. Almost immediately Alvin growled, "He's gotta have Brittany! It only makes sense! Just wait until I get my paws on him…"

Simon butted in. "Alvin, calm down and think this through."

The red clad chipmunk didn't argue, but he obviously had plenty more he wanted to say.

Julie spoke. "We should get some rest now. We've got a big day tomorrow."

"What about Brittany?" Alvin asked in disbelief.

"Dave and Toby are looking for her." Julie reminded him. "Just get some sleep for now."

Jeanette honestly didn't think after what she discovered that she could sleep. All the same, she obeyed, though half regretted it when she had terrible nightmares of everyone else disappearing.

OoOoOoO

Brittany slowly opened her eyes. All she could see was whiteness. _Am I dead? _

That's when her eyes adjusted and she could fully see her surroundings. Brittany looked around to find herself in a closed off room, lying on a bed with black sheets and a window on the opposite side of the room, which was obviously locked. Every wall was completely white, and a small fireplace with a pile of ash inside it was shoved into the wall on the wall to the left.

Sitting up, the pink clad chipmunk tried to remember on what happened the day before. She thought of taking a walk into the woods, which was vaguely faint. She tried to remember the face of who captured her then, but she couldn't catch the thought.

Slightly dazed, Brittany hopped off the bed and strolled to the other side of the room and hopped on the window sill. She looked outside in dismay; she was in the middle of nowhere! Everywhere she looked there was forest. Sighing, she slowly slouched against the wall, staring outside.

_What have I gotten myself into? And how do I get out of it?_


End file.
